Auntie's Bookstore | Serving downtown Spokane with new and used books since 1978

Red Audrey and the Roping

by Jill Malone

Monday, May 5th 7:30pm 2nd Floor Auditorium

Auntie's is proud to announce the reading of our former manager and dear friend Jill Malone. Be sure to attend the debut of what is sure to be an illustrious career.

“Jill Malone’s Red Audrey and the Roping is a terrific debut novel—a sharply-written, entertaining tour of the landscape between longing and regret.” —Jess Walter

“A wonderfully impressive writing debut.” —Sarah Waters

“A surfer chick who teaches Latin! The smart, adrenaline-addicted protagonist of Red Audrey and the Roping is irresistible… —Lucy Jane Bledsoe

:::: jillamymalone@gmail.com :: http://www.bywaterbooks.com/ :: http://www.jillmalone.com/ ::::

National Poetry Month Contest

April is National Poetry Month and to celebrate Auntie’s wants to hear from you! Just send us your original acrostic poem built on AUNTIES. Like this:

Acrostics are tricky
Unusally so:
Not to resort
To some gimmick, you know
Ideally, you'd find something
Ever so smart
Sadly I've settled for this piece of "art."

Or any mention of your favorite female relative/bookstore will do. Winners can choose between either of the two Pulitzer Prize winners: Robert Hass’s "Time and Materials" or "Failure" by Philip Schultz.

Kids too! Send us your acrostic poems to win the latest from Children’s Poet Laureate Jack Prelutsky, "My Dog May Be a Genius."

Check back to auntiesbooks.com for poem postings.

Now would also be a great time to catch up on the work of our local poets Christopher Howell, Jonathan Johnson, Tod Marshall, Nance van Winckel, and more. Or pick up the latest edition of EWU’s literary journal known for its fine poetry, Willow Springs.

Find out other ways to celebrate National Poetry Month at poets.org.

Please email submissions to jasmined@auntiesbooks.com (indicate age of child if applicable).

Auntie's Book Group: Suite Francaise

The Auntie’s morning book group met Tuesday for an enthusiastic discussion of "Suite Francaise" by Irene Nemirovsky. The author began the manuscript during the early years of WWII then tragically lost her life in Auschwitz. All agreed the book showed a surprising amount of perspective considering this. Comparisons were made to Mary Doria Russell’s "Thread of Grace," also set during WWII. But where Nemirovsky focuses on the mundane details of Occupation living, Russell is interested in the courage and nobility displayed by the Italians during that difficult time. Join us next month for a discussion of "River of Doubt" by Candice Millard – a biography of Theodore Roosevelt told through his thrilling adventure charting the Amazon River.

2008 Pulitzer Prize Winners Announced

FICTION

"The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz

HISTORY

"What Hath God Wrought" by Daniel Walker Howe

POETRY (dual award)

"Time and Materials" by Robert Hass

"Failure" by Philip Schultz

BIOGRAPHY
"Eden's Outcasts" by John Matteson

DRAMA
"August: Osage County" by Tracy Letts

"The Emperor's Children" by Claire Messud

I am completely ruptured by this book. Yes, ruptured. Claire Messud's quietly ironic, powerfully human story of three thirty-year-old New Yorkers is shattering and lush and gorgeous. Imagine Austen colliding with James and tackling the complex struggle of perception and reality in late American society. Let this book work you over.

"The Willoughbys" by Lois Lowry

This sly, delightful read by Newberry Award-winning author Lois Lowry is a parody of old-fashioned stories. Think of The Secret Garden and the Lemony Snicket books in a mixing bowl and you'll have some idea of the enchanting, clever characters and plot you'll find here. Suitable for boys and girls, this slim volume has orphans, a wealthy industrialist, a nanny, a beastly baby, strange goings-on in Switzerland, chocolate bars, four scheming siblings, and a particularly hilarious glossary. A pleasure to read aloud, this book is recommended for ages 8 and up.

"Run" by Ann Patchett

I will admit to being an Ann Patchett fanatic. She is one of those marvels of a writer whose narratives are hard and tender and feel like love. In Run, her latest novel, she explores race and family, poverty and privilege, secrets and motherlessness within the context of one mixed-race family in Boston over a period of 24 hours. The plot is unexpected and suspenseful, and you will read deliberately, because each sentence is worth savoring. Discover the latest from the incomparable writer of Bel Canto.

"Then We Came to the End" by Joshua Ferris

This clever, funny novel about one dot-com company's smash-up is a delight to read. The New York Times listed it as one of the top five fiction books of the year, and it was nominated for a National Book Award, so this title has chops, but what is most pleasurable about the read is the inventive narration and the scaffold of seriousness that supports all the hijinks and wit these characters have.

-Jill

"The Meaning of Night" by Michael Cox

I just started this excellent page-turner set in Victorian England. It starts out as a confession of murder, "After killing the red-haired man, I took myself off to Quinn's for an oyster supper". The journey to why is proving to be as provocative as the beginning line. Check back on the blog for more to come.

- Janet

"Burning Fence" by Craig Lesley

How does a kid grow up without his father? And if that father disappears, how hard will the boy try to find him, once he has grown up?

Award-winning author Craig Lesley traces the breakup of his parent’s marriage to the post-war trauma which changed his father’s personality to the point that he simply left, saying, “I’m going to get a flashlight.” Lesley grows up, becomes a professor, adopts a Native American son who suffers from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, marries, fathers two daughters, and launches a writing career.

But the curiosity about his father impels him to find Rudell, a hilariously plain-spoken man who builds the sturdiest fences ever seen in his part of the country. They develop a relationship that is respectful of the distance Ruddell needs to have from his son and ex-wife, but allowing the joys of grandfatherhood, especially to Lesley’s oldest girl, born on her grandfather’s birthday and with a remarkable resemblance to him.

Lesley’s calm, gentle style lends itself to this tale of a son mending fence with his father. Great reading!

- Lois

Two great foodie tomes

"Heat" by Bill Buford

Buford quit his New Yorker magazine editting job to become a kitchen slave at celebrity chef Mario Batali's Babbo restaurant to write this book. The appeal here is in the I-did-it-so-you-don't-need-to aspect: You're a fly on the wall behind the scenes of one of New York's destination eateries, but also privy to the best kind of passionate food writing as Buford transforms from a mediocre dinner party cook to a culinary technician capable of smelling when food is done. Mario fans be warned - Buford's take on Batali's celeb-status is somewhat withering at times, painting him as a talented heavy drinker who essentially makes peasant food that is lapped up at exorbitant prices by star-struck Food Network fans.

"Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain

Viewers of Bourdain's travel show on cable television know that Tony has a certain way of finding the miserable in every glorious moment he spends abroad and that immutable crankiness of tone sings throughout this expose/memoir. Following his culinary history from childhood scamp sucking oysters in France to top chef with rock-star-level drug use, the book is quick to paint an image of the professional kitchen as a tough workplace fraught with abuse (both self-inflicted and institutionally imposed) but also incredible passion. Bourdain is also quick to sing the praises of his immigrant kitchen help, an area of the kitchen often overlooked.

"The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman

This is the first book in Pullman's brilliant "His Dark Materials" trilogy. Wildly popular since its release in Britain, the acclaimed saga is finally catching on with American readers (particularly now on the cusp of its theatrical release). His sweeping vision of story, soul and heroism will mezmerize you as Pullman crafts a gorgeous tale of striving, surprising characters and employs one of the most effective conceits in modern literature: the daemon. The series is also available in an omnibus! After you tear through this first volume, check out the next book in the series, "The Subtle Knife."

-Jill

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